Nursing union angry at prospect of frontline job losses in South Australia

Updated
Thu 27 Jun 2013, 8:57 AM AEST

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Nursing union angry at threat to jobs

ABC

The Opposition said the South Australian Government was planning to reduce the number of nursing jobs, which would break a promise it would not to cut frontline services.

Health Minister Jack Snelling told a parliamentary estimates committee about 600 jobs would be cut within SA Health over the next four years.

He said any reduction in nursing staff should be able to be met by natural attrition.

Opposition health spokesman Rob Lucas said, however it was done, the Government was looking to reduce nursing numbers overall.

"That's contrary to the promise that Mr Weatherill and Mr Snelling have been giving for years that frontline services - nurses, doctors, teachers and police - would not be part of any budget cuts under their Government," he said.

Nursing and Midwifery Federation secretary Elizabeth Dabars said it was the first time the current Government had touched the nursing workforce.

"We're absolutely shocked that there is a prospect to cut the jobs of nurses and midwives," she said.

"We've always received assurances and commitments from this Government and SA Health that no frontline service cuts to nurses or midwives would be conducted."

Australian Medical Association South Australian president Patricia Montanaro said doctors were worried for patient care.

"When we were told about the staff reduction and also taking $50 million out of the health budget and also there was a comment of being asked to treat higher-severity patients with the same dollars, if you're talking about taking out frontline staff you can't treat higher-severity cases. It just doesn't add up," she said.

"If clinicians are taken out of the frontline then you can't treat the same number of people, or you can't treat them to the same quality."

Meanwhile, Mr Snelling said a new health sector computer system for patient records would now cost $422 million, which was $14 million more than the original estimate.

The system was to start operation last March but will now go live at Noarlunga Hospital in August.

Compensation fight over RAH site

Mr Snelling said the SA Government would fight vigorously a compensation claim over contamination at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital site.

He told the parliamentary estimates committee the consortium building the hospital was seeking more than $1 million in compensation for dealing with contamination of the former railyards site.

He said the consortium was claiming the extent of remediation needed would be more than outlined by the Government.

"There's a process under the contract for any dispute between the Government and consortium ... for that to be arbitrated, so it will go to an independent arbitrator who'll make a decision," he said.

"But, as I say, my very strong advice is the Government's very strong position is we have no liability."

SA Premier Jay Weatherill said a design competition would help decide the future of the current Royal Adelaide Hospital site.

The hospital will open at a new site at the western end of North Terrace in 2016.

The competition will open on July 18 and a winner will be chosen in December after a shortlist of six finalists is drawn up.

The Government will outline design criteria but the Premier said it did not want to pre-judge what a final design might include.

Mr Weatherill said the prize pool of $900,000 would be enough to offset the cost of the design work.

"What we're getting is the best of really anybody's ideas, narrowing it down to six, picking one two and three and that will inform the next stage in the process. We don't have to obviously have a solution until 2016 but we think this is a good way to go," he said.

He said the shortlist would include a 'people's choice' finalist.

Government architect Ben Hewett said a contest would would help attract quality designs.

"The opportunity to be able to go internationally to source the best ideas from around the world is an extraordinary opportunity to have people contributing their ideas to this city," he said.

The Opposition said the competition would pave the way for a broken promise.

Liberal Rob Lucas said former premier Mike Rann had indicated the site would be returned to parklands.

"The Government had committed to demolish all the buildings and return it to open space parklands and the Botanic Gardens," he said.

"Personally that was never my view. There should be some reuse of the site so if the Government is paving the ground for breaking that particular commitment we'd welcome at least that particular part of it."